Something I will never understand about Texans - winter comes every year, and it is just as cold as many of the northern states. Yes, it is a much shorter season here, but it still happens every year. Why is it that so many seem to be taken by surprise? Every winter I see people shivering their way down the street in nothing but their shirt sleeves or wrapped in a blanket - no coat. Today I saw the apparent new trend replacing the chill blocking, wind breaking scarf - the feather boa.

Vintage

Lady across the isle very carefully lines her seat with newspaper before sitting down.

The vending machine inside the train station says "please use exact change," but the fucking thing isn't accepting any coins.

Lady sitting across the aisle from me has a big, transparent dish of what I think is gumbo. It is the only gumbo I have ever smelled the stinks like arm pits and feet.

Sleeping Beauties

I just had to call my boss to let him know I would be late - due to a dead body blocking the tracks.

Okay you little fuck nut, I didn't ask your opinion of my desire to change careers. This kid, who stinks like moldy laundry by the way, took it upon himself to tell me that it's a good thing I plan to use my Masters degree to teach because, at my age, becoming a writer would be rather unrealistic.

So this kid sits down in the quad with me and opens his laptop. Through a brief conversation we determine we are both students working on final projects with a looming deadline. He then tells me he is repeating the class. He failed it once before because bed bugs got into the spine of his text book. For some reason that meant he could not finish the course. And since it was a corequiste for another course, he failed that one too. I don't know - if it was me, I'd throw out the buggy book and buy a new one. Now I understand how frustrated some of my professor friends get with stupid excuses from students. I asked him if instead of telling his prof that the dog ate his homework, he said the bugs ate it. He didn't seem amused.

I haven't figured out what this guy is doign yet, but every day (and yes I really mean EVERY day) he brings a stack or two of about 50 letters each with him. They are bundled together with rubber bands. He spends the ride opening them one at a time and then tearing the contents to shreds.

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I have absolutely seen it all now...guy just got off the train wearing a hospital gown...and he still had his IV port in. My guess is - he escaped...

Vintage

Really? You are going to talk THAT loudly about your STDs?

Sitting here, failing once again to connect to the shitty WiFi, when I feel something in my eye. I blink and blink - it's still there. I swipe at it - no luck. Finally I give in and dig a mirror out of my purse. There, on the lower edge of my eye lid is a dead bug. Gross!

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Got on in Hurst today and thought...what is that smell? It smells like nail polish...lady treating the train like her personal salon and giving herself a manicure complete with neon orange nail polish.

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A young man standing in the train station just singing his heart out. I was going tip him but it appears he was just using the space for its acoustics.

OK Sir, you have not stopped flapping your yap in the past 35 minutes. You have covered everything from working for the government, to your shoulder surgery, to washers, dryers and refrigerators. Please SHUT THE HELL UP!

Okay, Mr. Tea, you need to let me gather my things and walk down the aisle instead of trying to shove your way past me. You are entirely too large to squeeze by anyone on this train.

Vintage

The fog is so thick we just went through a stretch where it was like riding through the clouds. Very fairy tale.

Sleeping Beauties

Sleeping Beauties